Unit for supporting machines.



E. KAUFMANN.

UNIT FOR SUPPORTING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 3. 1913.

1,152,099. nted Aug; 31, 1915.

- 3 SHEETS-SHEET x.

I WITL VESSES [1V VE1VT OR k/ knew/67 2211/ 0/05 7 Jun/Z j l 44iforfl() E. KAUFMANN.

UNIT FOR SUPPORTING MACHINES.

APPLICATION r1150 FEB. a. 1913.

1 1 52,099. Patented Aug. 31, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES E. KAUFMANNP UNIT FOR SUPPORTING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 21. 1913.

1,152,099. PatentedAug. 31,1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- EMANUEL KAUFMANN, or ATLANTA, GEORGIA. I

UNIT FOR SUPPORTING MACHINES.

maaoee.

\ Specification of Letters E'atent.

Patented Aug. 31, 1915.

Application filed February 3, 1913. Serial No. 745,937.

T all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EMANUEL KAUF- MANN, a citizen of the United States, and residing at Atlanta, in the county of Fulton and State of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Units for Supporting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in units for supporting machines, their actuating mechanisms, and operators" accessories. In many lines of business where the product is of considerable size, and where it is necessary to employ machines for. the purpose of operating upon the materials, it is the practice to duplicate the machines and arrange them in such manner as to occupy a minimum amount of space and yet permit freedom of movements of the operators and independent manipulation of the machines. For instance, in the manufacture of garments, a large number of sewing machines are so mounted as to be operated from a common shaft, each independently actuated, the machines being preferably arranged in rows longitudinally of what may be termed a table, a preferred form being to provide a work-receiving trough between the rows, each operator having his or her individual machine and presumably having individual seats for his or her use in connection with the machine, the entire structure. being composed of a plurality of such'units arranged in rows. In these constructions, the controlling mechanism is generally fixed to supports on the floor, while the seats are generally separate from the supporting means for the machines. While these general con; structions'serve their purpose, there are a number of disadvantages 1 in connection therewith which act to provide losses and increased charges'in the product. Among these difliculties is that of cleaning the fioor,

etc., the arrangements being such as to render it a difficult matter for the cleaner to have access to the floor beneath the table, the fixtures to the floor being such as to render it a difiicult matter to provide a proper sweeping; another difficulty in this respect is the loss due to the dropping of materials (scrap and otherwise) which are difii'cult to collect or sweep especially where these controlling devices, etc., are mounted on the floor and offer obstructions to a free sweeping action.

Another difiiculty and loss which 1n the course of time becomes serious, is due to the fact that the operators seats must be'placed out of'position in order to provide for the cleaning action, and these seats are generally placed on top ofthe table where careless handling is extremely liable to damage the machines located on the table; this. is a common occurrence and provides a serious loss which must be charged against the product. The losses due to these difliculties, in addition to the loss of time of the sweepers, the latter being due to the required increase of time in moving the various parts about and in attempting to reach the various points beneath the table, are serious objections to the present type of supporting mechanism. An additional element in this respect is the fact that the machines themselves become affected through the vibratory action of the machines when running, the vibrations of a machine tending to act upon other machines through the. connections of their supports. Still another difficulty lies in the fact that the materials required in the operation of the machine, suchas thread,

needles, etc., are not conveniently located for the use of the operator.

'The present invention is intended. to eliminate substantially all of these objections, having for its object the provision of supporting units in .which the table supports. alone are secured to the floor, the remaining a construction of this character which is f simple and efllcient for its purpose, durable inconstruction, and which can be manufactured at a relatively low cost.

To these and other ends, the-nature of whichwill be readily understood, the invention consists in the improved construction and combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying .surety that the individuality will bemaindrawings, and more particularly pointed out .in the accompanying claims.

In the drawings, 1n whichsimilar reference characters lndlcate similar parts in each of the v1ews:F1gure 1 1s a cross-sectional view taken through a table showing in elevation two machine units connected together to provide the supporting unit for two machines,-parts being broken away to illustrate details. Fig. 2 is a top plan view, somewhat diagrammatic, of a portion of a table, showing four individual machine units positioned with respect thereto. Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken onthe line 33 of Fig. 1 and showing the units of Fig. 2. Fig. i is a detail view showing that portion of the machine controlling mechanism operated by the foot of the operator.. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail view of the seat mounting, the view being a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

The feature which renders the present invention possible and of value is the support ing leg of a machine unit, the legv not only forming a support for various parts of the mechanisms, but also in connection with the leg of the opposing machine unit, providing for the support of a bracket or connecting structure which not only acts as a support for the legs themselves to permanently retain them in position, but also as a support for driving and controlling mechanisms, placing these latter in positions most convenient for the operator and retaining the floor space beneath the table substantially free from obstruction.

The legs may be of suitable configuration, preferably however, being metallic and of angular cross-section for the purpose of lightening. These legs are indicated at cz, and .each has its lower end suitably formed to permit of attachment to the floor.

Opposing legs are preferably connected by brackets or: connections indicated collectively at -b, these connections being preferably formed in sections, the outer sections being substantial duplicates, the intervening section being adapted to be connected vto the outer sections, the sections when connected, providing a stiff brace for retaining the legs against movement. As shown, the outer sections, indicated at b-+, are each provided with a plurality of openings to permit connection with the leg at spaced apart points, the opposite ends of the sections being perforated to receive a bolt b said bolt being adapted to pass through a slot -b of the intermediate section -b this arrangement permitting adjustment in the Width of the table through adjusting the distance between the legs, it being understood howeventhat there is no intention of providing adjustments after the table has been. completed. This particular arrangement however, enables the connections to be provided as an article of manufacture and made standard for use in any desired installations.

As will be readily understood, there are a [at plurality of pairs of the machine units employed in connection with the table, these pairs being spaced apart and of similar construction, and I therefore employ the intermediate section b for the purpose of supporting the power mechanism which is common to all of the units,the main drive being in the form of a shaft 0 which extends throughout the length of the table,

being mounted in suitable bearings b carried by and depending from the 1ntermediate section. As will be readily understood, the shaft -c may be continuous or sectional in form, or, it may be of a short length suflicient to provide power to counter shafts which may themselves be employed, this latter being preferred by reason of the ability to provide a separate shaft for each row of machines. In the drawings, I have shown two counter-shafts c mounted in suitable bearings carried b a support Z) the latter being secure to the intermediate section 7).

As will be readily understood, various combinations may be made between the shaft 0 and counter-shafts c', the particular arrangement in this respect not forming an essential feature of the invention, the main feature in this respect being that the power supply is carried by the intermediate sections 5, this arrangement aiding in the alining of the shafts, and at the same time retaining the shafts a suitable distance above the floor level and leaving the floor space therebelow entirely free' from obstruction. The bearings Z) and b may be of any desired configuration or construction, various types being available forthis purpose. A preferred arrangement however, is that the main driving shafts shall be located below the plane of the section and the counter shaft or shafts above such plane. l/Vhere counter-shafts are 7 employed, it will be obvious that the main or power shaft need only be connected to the counter shafts at one point in each length of counter shaft, and this arrangement restricts the number, of pulleys which would be carried by the power shaft and which would project below said shaft, the result being that a maximum space .is provided abovethe floor beneath this shaft.

The table is completed by cross-pieces cZ, connecting the pairs of connected legs adjacent the top of such legs, said crosspieces being of a suflicient width to provide for spaced apart points of connection with each leg, and preferably to provide for the insertion of the trough d, the latter being of any desired configuration in crosssection and being located intermediate the legs and the table sections. The top of each leg is arranged to provide for the securing thereto of a table section (Z ,the top of the latter being located substantially on the plane of the top of the leg. The table secmachine of a row, but I prefer to make these sections of'a length to connecta plurality of legs of one row together, thus causing the table sections to form a tie between adjacent parts of legs and thereby binding the various individual units together to form a complete table, it being understood that at least one table section 1s provided for each row of machines; in-this connection, the trough d-' acts similarly to connect the pairs of legs together and form a brace therefor.

While I do not herein claim the specific construction of the leg and table, these features forming the subject matter of a copending application, it is to be understood that, for the purpose-of the present invention, the top of the leg forms the support forthe sewing-machine head, the latter being connected directly to the top of the leg and thus cause the vibrations of the machine in use to be confined substantially to the leg on which it is mounted thereby reducing liability of the vibrations being communicated to adjoining machines and practically segregating the operation of each machine and its affects. The machine head is indicated in the drawings at ,e

To provide the machine and provide forthe individual action thereof, I employ a suitable individual counter-shaft f which may have its bearings secured to the leg or to the cross-piece d as desired, the counter-shaft preferably carrying means which will enable connection with a counter shaft or the main shaft 0 and at the same time provide for a connection or disconnection of this means with the sewing machine mechanism. For instance, I may employ a loose pulley -f and a fast pulley f on the shaft connecting the former with the powersupply and the latter to the machine head, providing means for coupling up the shaft with the loose pulley, such coupling means being indicated at f, and which includes an arm, the movements of which will act to provide this connection or disconnection at will, said arm being connected to a treadle mechanism presently described through a suitable connection f. This arrangement of drive connection between the power supply and the machine mechanism is, of course simply illustrative, it being understood that wide variations therein may be provided. Furthermore, where it is desired to employ individual motors for each machine, it will be understood that the same may be mounted approximately in the position indicated with respect to the counter-shaft f in which case. the power shaft c and counter-shaft c' may be omitted, such omissions permitting the bearings therefor to be eliminated without, however, affecting the employment of the intermediate section such increase.

as a part of the connections between the legs.

The outer sections -b'- are adapted to form the support for the treadle mechanism, the latter being supported from the bolts b by the use of a bracket g, to which is connected a guard strip -g, the latter carrying spaced" brackets g in which are pivotally mounted arms g carrying the treadle g*, this arrangement permitting the treadle to be swung upwardly, asshown in Fig. 4, for the purpose of clearing the space within which the I sweeper may operate.- To permit this movement of the treadle, the connection fmay beflexible or adjustable, various ways in which this result may be obtained without affecting the clutching operation being wellknown, the drawings-indicating this connection as a chain.

The guard strip 'g may be a strip of short length individual for each unit, or may be of a length to connect adjoining units, the individual form, however, being preferred since it is possible in this way to provide adjustments of the guard to suit the individual, these adjustments being by swinging the bracket g on its pivot, an

adjustable member g connecting the section d'- with the bracket approximate its lower end, providing, a means for retaining the bracket g in its adjusted positions The specific construction and arrangement of this guard and treadle mechanism is not specifically claimed herein, as the same forms the subject matter of a companion application; It is to be understood however, that it is as an entirety, an important element of the present invention, in that it perniits of the individual adjustment to suit the operator, provides for the control of the operation of the mechanism by the feet, and

is permanently located a considerable distance above the floor, being capable of being swung to further increase the free space about the machine. r I

In addition to the above elements, the leg carries the seat of the operator, this being provided by mounting an arm 'h in a bracket h' carried by the leg, the arm being pivotally mounted on a vertical axis and capable of a limited swinging movement, the forward movement being limited by a contact of the arm and the leg, and the upward movement by a stop t the latter being preferably in the form of a pivoted member capable of being swung out of position, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, thereby permitting a further swinging move ment, the arm itself forming a stop to limit The outer end of the arm carries a pivotally mounted seat hthe limited.

The particular structure of the arm and its movement limiting mechanism and the particular manner in which the seat is mounted on the arm are not specifically claimed herein, as they form the subject matter of companion applications. For the purpose of the present invention, however, these parts are considered as an element in that they provide for the permanent locating of the seat on the supporting leg and making it possible to provide for permanent adjustments by means of which the seat can be swung to permit the operator to readily reach or pass from the most convenient position for operating his machine, cooperating with the adjustment of the guard plate and pedal mechanism for the purpose of placing the parts in the most comfortable position for the individual, and rendering this seat structure movable to permitthe sweeper being moved about without affecting such adjusted positions, the operator having an assurance that his or her individual adjustments will be maintained and the seat in position for use whenever desired. Obviously, this fixing position of the seat structure eliminates the liability of damage to the machines which results at the present time from the attempt of the sweepers to store the operators chair on the table in an attempt to prevent a mix-up of chairs.

If desired, I may also attach a spoolholder -2' to the arm h, the spoolholder being preferably in the form of pivoted arms j having hearings to receive the spool, the latter being indicated at f. I prefer to locate the holder on the arm to the right of the seat, thus placing it in a osition where the contents of the spool may e led to the machine without liability of the movements of the operator in manipulating the work without affecting the movements of the thread or other material carried by the spool; furthermore, this position renders it most convenient for the operator in changing spools when desired without being required to pass from the seat, in addition to which it will be understood that the operator may swing outwardly away from normal position without affecting the thread connections. The pivotal mounting of the arms jpermits of their being folded inwardly when desired and thus eliminate obstruct-ions during the sweeping operation.

From the above, it will be readily understood that the general arrangement of the parts is such as to provide for maximum efliciency in operation, eliminate all objectionwith varying installations, and which can be manufactured at a relatively low cost.

\Vhile I have herein shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be readily understood that changes and modifications therein may be required or desired to meet the exigencies of use, and I therefore desire it to be understood that I reserve the right to make any and all such changes and modifications therein as may be found necessary or desirable, in so far as the same may fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the following claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is 1. The combination with a pair of tablesupporting legs, of a horizontal connection for said legs, comprising a central section provided with a hanger depending from the underside of said central section, and with diverging bearings projecting above the upper side of said central sections, and end sections secured at their outer ends to said legs, and adjustably secured at their inner ends to said central section.

2. A supporting stand for use with individually'operated machines, comprising a table-supporting cross-bar, legs secured to opposite sides of the ends of said bar, a horizontal connection for said legs consisting of end sections secured at their outer ends to said legs, and an intermediate section to the opposite sides of the ends of which the inner ends of the end sections are secured, means carried by said intermediate section and projecting above said section adapted to support revoluble shafts, a hanger depending centrally from the intermediate section, and brackets secured to said end sections at their points of attachment to the intermediate section by the means which secure the inner ends of said end sections.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EMANUEL KAUFMANN. Witnesses:

HUGH A. Moses, D. H. DoUGHER'rY, Jr. 

